Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~5~:~7~
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
. _ .
This invention relates to an arrangement for compacting
material in skips.
DISC~SSION OF PRIOR ART
A compactor is disclosed and claimed in British Patent
Specification No. 1,427,003. Devices for compacting domestic
rubbish, e.g. rubbish in sacks, are disclosed in U.S. Patent `~
Specification Nos. 3,357,346 and 3,413,913. A baler is disclosed
in U.S. Patent Specification No. 3,280,727. None of these devices `~
are practical for use at a civic amenity site. This invention is
directed to a compactor arrangement suitable for installation and
use at civic amenity sites. Such sites are often owned and
operated by a local authority so that members of the public can
bring to them their bulky refuse (such as may not be acceptable
to the normal refuse collection servicesj. The refuse is then
placed in skips and the skips are then transported to landfill
sites. This state of the operation is becoming expensive,
particularly because the contents of a skip containing uncompacted
: ,. . .
; refuse are largely air. - ~ ~;
;~ 20 SUMMARY OF THE INVE~TION
According to the present invention, a compactor ~-~
; ~
arrangement for compacting the contents of a skip includes a
; compactor carried by a support structure and having a pressure
platen, the pressure platen being mounted for movement generally
downwardly and upwardly into and out of a skip, ~he arrangement -~
also having means, comprising a ground-based skip support ~1
separate from the support structure, for receiving and locating
a plurality of skips, means for effecting relative arcuate or ~ ~;
linear movement between the compactor and the receiving and
~ 30 locating means, and means between the support structure and the ~1-
`~ skip support for preventing the support structure being lifted
as a result of the forces applied during compaction, whereby in
':; . ~¢~ ,:
-- ~S'~17~
. ,
use the pressure platen of the compactor can be caused to make
` successive compacting strokes on different skips in turn.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
.,
In one version of this invention, the compactor is con-
structed so that in use the pressure platen performs an arcuate
movement relative to a skip, the portion of said movement within
the skip being generally vertical. This design of compactor is the
subject of British Patent Specification No. 1,427,003 to which th~ ;
reader is referred for further details.
In another version of the invention, drive means for the ;
platen are provided whereby the platen makes a vertical movement
` relative to a skip placed thereunder. Such a drive means may be
constituted by an hydraulic ram mounted with its axis (line of
` applied force) vertical.
~` The compactor is disposed in relation to the receiving ~ ~`
; i, ~ . .
and locating means so that the relative movement is arcuate, for
example, circular. -
~ ccording to one embodiment of this invention, a skip
compaction facility is provided according to which a plurality of
skip receiving locations are provided based circularly around a
central point, and a compactor device is mounted so that it can be
rotated to any one of a plurality of positions, in each of which
~; it can compact the contents of a skip placed in one o~ the lo~*~ns.
In an alternative version of the invention, a turn~
table is provided having means for carryin~ thereon a plurality ~;
of skips, and a compactor device is provided at one radial
location of the turntable. It will readily be realized that
.
` with such an arrangement a skip can be compacted, the turntable
rotated, the next skip compacted, and so on, as desired. The skips
may be run on or off the turntabIe, at a non-compacting station, by
suitably positioned rollers. The turntable may carry three, or four
~ A - 3 ~ ~
jt~
or five, or any other aui-table number of skips, but four ia the
pr~lc~ y~ c~ l.c~l IIUIIII~Cl`.
,.~ ~,.
. ' DESCRIPTION OF ~ DR~W~TGS
The inven-tion will be better unders-tood from the accompanying
drawings in which:-
i Figure l is a plan view of one example of the invention;
Fi~ is a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure l;
Fi~Q_~ is a side elevation of an alternativè embodiment of the
invention;
Fi~ur,e 4 i8 a plan view of a third embodiment of the invention;
, Fi~ure 5 i9 a side elevation of the arrangement shown in Figure 4;
'' . Fi~ures 6 and 7 are respectively side elevation and plan views of a ~ '
fourth embodiment of the invention; and
` Figure 8 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the invention having a
" 15 vertically reciprocable platen carried by a ram or rams.
;'' '' ,
_TAILED DESCRIP ~N D- rl ~ E~BODIMENTS
~' Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a compactor is illustrated at 10,
having a preasure pl~ten 12, a body 14, and a base 16. The platen is ~`
pivoted to the body by a horizontal pivot pitl 180 The base 16 i8
:, 20 supported on the ground by a vertiçal pivot pin 20 and a wheel or roller
22. ~h~ roIler 22 is arranged t~ b~ driven by a m~tor 24.
I
,
,
~05;~l7~
The motor may be electrical or hydraulic, or of any other con-
venient form. It will be realized that when the roller 22 is
' driven the compactor describes a circular path around the pivot
- 20, and so can take up any positions seen in Figure 1.
The arrangement includes receiving and locating means
;. ;
for skips, five such skips being illustrated at 24a - 24e.
Such means are in part formed by a plurality of concrete
::. -
plinths 26, which are built adjacent to a series of skip-sup~
ports 28, each of which is in turn supported by suitable beams
or girders 30. The skips are also located by lugs ~28g) on
the skip support. It will be seen from Figure 2 that the for-
ward end 16a of the skip base 16 extends under a marginal part
of a skip support 28c when the compactor 10 is in its pivotal
position appropriate for compacting the contents of the skip
24c. This engagement prevents the front end of the compactor ~ `
lO being lifted by the forces applied during compaction.
It will be readily seen that the compactor lO can
compress the contents of the five skips in turn, and that -
- while, for example the contents of skip 24a are being com- ~:
s 20 pacted, skip 24e which has been compacted could be removed
by a known skip-transporter lorry and replaced by an empty
skip.
The example of the invention shown in Figure 3 is
; similar to that in Figures l and 2 except that the compactor
and the skip supports are sunk in pits or recesses so that the
skips can be filled (e.g. by the general public who will bring
the refuse to such a site) without the people who f ill them
having to ascend steps up to a plinth.
_ 5 _
'` . ':
.: , , ~;
..
5~7~L
The example of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5 i8 of an
arrangement having receiving and locating means for 6 skips, and a
oompactor movable about a vertical pivot pin 30. ~he advantage of
~he Figure 4 arrangement is that it can be located near a boundary
wall 32 and is econo~ical of space. In other respects it resembles
;~ . .
the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2.
~ Figures 6 and 7 illustrate an example of the invention in which
s the skip receiving and locating means is a turntable 82 rotatable
about a v~rtical axiQ in relation to a stationary ¢ompactor 80. The
i 10 turntable has a friction or other type of drive 84, and, as illustrated
B: ln Figure 6, is mounted in Q pit 86 with its flat upper surface substant~
.. , . ~
~ iall~ co-planar with ground level 88. Railings 90 on the turntable
1: ~
define four skip-receiving locations. An extensible supporb 92 iq~
,; provided to reduce the stress on the turntable during the application
of compaction pressure.
In an alternative embodiment of the invention, not illustrated,
a pressure plaben of the oompactor can be carried by the piston of a
~; hydraulic ram whose cylinder is mounted with its axis vertioal on the
orosQ~bar of a gant~y. Such a gantry OOula be fixed in relatior` to
~ arcuate rails upon which the skips can be recei~ed and located.
`~ Alternabively, a vertically-acting gantry-type compactor could replace
the compactor illustrated in any of Figures 1 - 5.
' `,
` In the variouJ arrangements illustrated~ a gantry with lifting mean
bherson ma~ be provided for lifting and transporting the skips, and it -~
will be understood that provision may be made for the public to tip extra
efuse into skips that ha~e ~lready been compacted. In this w~y the
extra skip volume made available can be ~ully utilised.
; ~ , .
, I ~,
':,.`' ~ :
1~5~
The word "ram" is used in this specification to mean
; any piston-cylinder or other linear powered actuator. While
in this specification, reference has been made to the design
of compactor the subject of Patent 1,427,003, it will be
appreciated that other compactors can readily be used in
arrangements according to this invention.
Figure 8 illustrates a further embodiment of the
~ invention, including a vertically reciprocable platen, carried
- by one or more rams, two being shown. In use, the platen
10 assembly is rotated around a vertical support post. ~-~
Reverting now to Figures 1 and 2, an important
feature of this embodiment of the invention is the fact
that the skip supports 28 and the pivot 20 are in effect an inte-
gral part due to the use of the beams or girders 30. This
allows one to eliminate stress on the concrete foundations.
; Very substantial foundations would otherwlse be required to
stop the skip supports 28 being torn out of the ground at the
end near the compactor lO. It can be seen that if the
girders 30 were not provided then one would require a large
. . .
mass of concrete (e.g. 30 tons weight) holding down the sup-
` port 28 to provide adequate reaction to the upward forces
exerted by 16a when peak compaction ~orce is exerted by the
platen 12. By skip in this specification is meant an open
topped container.
~` '
;
,` '
